There are several instances in this FAQ where codes or commands are given. For these, numbers will correspond to arrows on the PIU platform, like this:

7		9 .......... 7 = Up/Left. 9 = Up/Right.
	5	........... 5 = Center.
1		3 .......... 3 = Down/Left. 3 = Down/Right.

 

 

• If two players are playing, Stage Break will not occur unless BOTH players fail the song.
• Stage Break will not occur during the first song; you will always get to finish at least one song per game. The first stage where SB occurs is determined by the operatpor.
• Stage Break will not occur in Easy Station.
• If one of the following conditions occurs, Stage Break will happen immediately, even if one of the above situations applies:
  • In a 1-player game, the player receives more than 50 consecutive Misses.
  • In a 2-player game, BOTH players receive more than 50 consecutive Misses.

• The Platform/Pad. The biggest difference is that Pump features a totally different "stage" from the other two games. Instead of four arrows--Up, Down, Left and Right--Pump features five panels: Up-Left, Up-Right, Down-Left, Down-Right and Center. The panels are arranged in the shape of an X. To easily visualize this, look at your keyboard's numeric keypad: 7, 9, 5, 1 and 3. It's typical for a DDR/ITG player to take a while to get used to the different layout, as it requires that you move around more. Many players who have played both Pump and 4-panel games believe that the steps in Pump feel closer to actual dancing.
  

• The Arrows. The arrows themselves are shaped differently, but the big difference is in their coloring. In DDR/ITG, the arrows are colored according to their timing. In Pump, that is not the case; the Up-Left and Up-Right arrows are always colored red/orange, the Down-Left and Down-Right arrows are always colored blue, and the Center is always colored yellow. For people used to the other games, this makes songs more difficult to read at lower BPM. Many serious Pump players always use speed mods.
  
  
• The Mods. Pump's mods are generally more minimalistic than DDR's, and you don't find too many ITG-like mods here. All of the speed mods are whole numbers (1x, 2x, 3x...), for example. You will find a lot of similar mods (like "Nonstep," Pump's version of Stealth), but also some that differ slightly. For example, instead of Shuffle, Pump has a Random mod that actually randomly assigns arrows for you. In Double modes, this can get ridiculous!
  
  
• The Backgrounds. While ITG uses fairly generic background movies, and DDR strings short movie clips together, Pump contains full-length, full-screen backgrounds for every song! Many of these consist of gorgeous hand-drawn animation! This is one of the areas where Pump really shines. Be careful not to fail your song because you were watching the background animations instead!
  
  
• The Difficulties. DDR and ITG actually feature five different difficulty levels for Single mode, although not all songs have steps in every difficulty. In fact, most of DDR's songs lack Challenge steps. In addition, Double has four difficulties of its own in both games. Pump is very different in this regard. Pump contains only three Single difficulties and two Double difficulties. Not all difficulties are available in each song.
  
  
• Songlist Style. DDR, having come from Japan, features many songs on its songlists that are either sung in Japanese or appeal to Japanese audiences. Recent North American versions of DDR have fewer of these than the original Japanese releases. But Andamiro has made no attempt to hide Pump's Korean heritage in American versions of Pump. In fact, it's been embraced... the K-Pop Channel, almost half of the game, is entirely Korean music! Please enjoy the sounds of popular Korean artists! Additionally, you'll find that the music in Pump--including the music created by the in-house team, BanYa--leans more towards traditional pop music than DDR or ITG. You won't find much in the way of techno and trance here, for instance. For some players, this is a breath of fresh air.
  
  
• Grading/Scoring. Technical players of other dance games will quickly realize that the timing window on "Perfect" steps is very large compared to DDR. Many steps that would have been Greats in DDR will be Perfects in Pump, and many DDR players whose accuracy is generally less than perfect will often find themselves with single- digit Greats. Likewise, the grading system is also more lax than DDR's. You can get a large number of Misses but still wind up with an "A." The technical emphasis in Pump seems to simply be on passing the difficult songs with decent accuracy, and not necessarily hitting all of the steps perfectly.
  
  
• Freezes. Freeze or Hold arrows work differently in Pump than in DDR or ITG. Those two games treat a freeze/hold arrow as two things: the step and the freeze. You are scored twice (once on each). In Pump, freezes are very different. It's as if they're equivalent to a string of notes on the same arrow, but you only have to hold your foot down to hit them all. In other words, you'll see "Perfect Perfect Perfect Perfect..." until the end of the freeze, unless you aren't holding your foot down, in which case you'll see "Miss Miss Miss Miss..." In other words, don't miss Pump freezes, or you'll be failing out pretty quickly.
  
  
• Hands. In The Groove did NOT invent Hands; they were in Pump first, on the 1st Dance Floor in 1999. (Hands: having to hit more than two panels at the same time.) Most songs don't have Hands, but quite a few do, especially on Crazy and Nightmare difficulties. The main difference here is that the songlist won't warn you in advance...you'll have to keep an eye out for them, and be ready!

NORMAL ("Beginner Mode")

This Single difficulty contains the game's easiest steps (except for Easy Station's). Older versions of Pump called this level "Easy."

HARD ("Professional Mode")

Players who are familiar with similar games should start here. This Single difficulty contains a wide range of step levels, but once you're truly good at Pump, you should be more than able to master them all.

CRAZY ("Stepper Mode")

The hardest Single difficulty. The easiest steps here will give you a workout, while the most difficult are so very hard that they make Pump stand out as the hardest game of all.

FREESTYLE ("Performance Mode")

The normal Double difficulty. You must use both sides to play this mode, and move around quite a bit to hit everything, but the reward comes in the form of amazingly fun steps you simply can't experience anywhere else. Older versions of Pump simply called this level "Double."

NIGHTMARE ("Burning Mode")

This Double difficulty contains the game's hardest steps. Prepare for pain. This mode is like Crazy, cranked up a notch, thrown across both pads. Only the best of the best can clear the hardest this mode has to offer.

 

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Another Channel

This new channel contains all-new steps (usually quite difficult) for several songs, mostly existing songs from previous versions. This channel is initially hidden, and once it's unlocked, there isn't much to see; more steps will be unlocked as you play. This mode uses alternative charts with (usually ridiculous) styles unlike anything you've seen in the regular game modes .

 

1. You will be asked to choose a mission from 1-30, or a set of random Crazy or Nightmare missions. The random missions are not randomly selected from existing missions; they are actually randomly generated. Use 1/3 to select and Center twice to choose a mission.

NOTE

You are NOT choosing individual missions; you are actually choosing a set of 3.

NOTE

Only Missions 1-3 are available at first; the rest must be unlocked. Playing Arcade/Remix/Easy Stations, or other missions, will unlock more missions.

2. The rules for the stage will be displayed. Press Center to start. (The screen has a time limit; if it runs out, the stage will begin automatically.) Pay close attention to the rules. All game difficulties can be used, including those that force you to play both sides. Mods will often be used. Also, sometimes you will have to do something specific. For example: "Max Combo≥ 72" means you must clear the stage with a Max Combo of EXACTLY 72... not higher, not lower.
   

3. If you clear the stage, you proceed to the next in the set. If you clear the 3rd stage, the mission is cleared. If you clear it, you'll be asked to enter your name; it will be displayed on the "Mission History" board during attract mode. (There are also other conditions that will allow you to enter your name.)

WARNING

The rating system for this game is odd. You will find mis-numbered songs...lots of them. The rating system is a good general guide, but you should not believe it to be the last word on the song's difficulty.

NOTE

Another Channel steps are not listed. This is because Another Channel steps are not given difficulty ratings in-game. They are all listed as "??" and vary in difficulty greatly.

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NL = Normal, HD = Hard, CZ = Crazy, FS = Freestyle, NR = Nightmare. Italicized songs are new. For songs with varying BPM, the peak BPM is listed (unless the peak BPM is a sudden speedup).

*****BANYA CHANNEL (45 songs)*****

Song Name	Artist	BPM	NL	HD	CZ	FS	NM
Jump	BanYa	96	3	7	9
Moonlight	BanYa	180		7	18	8	21
Papa Gonzales	BanYa	145		6	14	7	18
Witch Doctor	BanYa	195			17		22
Love is a Danger Zone 2	BanYa	162	7	15	21	18	23
Beat of the War 2	BanYa	190	3	8	17	7	20
Phantom	BanYa	136		10	18	6	19
Hate	BanYa	90	1	3		4
Final Audition	BanYa	130	2	7	15	3	17
Extravaganza	BanYa	195		8	11	9	17
Final Audition 2	BanYa	130		7	9	7	16
Naissance	BanYa	136		7	9	7	14
Turkey March	BanYa	150		7	12	8	19
With My Lover	BanYa	124	3		10		11
Free Style	BanYa	99	1			3
She Likes Pizza	BanYa	230		7	9	8	16
Pumping Up	BanYa	135		4
Solitary	BanYa	136	3	5	8	6	15
Mr. Larpus	BanYa	190	4	9	13	10	18
N	BanYa	106	2	4	14	4
Rolling Christmas	BanYa	142	2	4	7	4	12
Beethoven Virus	BanYa	162	3	6	13	8	20
Dr. M	BanYa	145	2	6	12	8	16
Love Is A Danger Zone	BanYa	140	2	6	19	6	20
My Way	BanYa	118	2	5	12	6	15
Point Break	BanYa	92	1	4	8	5
Street Show Down	BanYa	124	4	7	8	6	13
Winter	BanYa	168	3	8	14	9	19
Will O The Wisp	BanYa	210	4	8	13	10	19
Vook	BanYa	184	4	7	14	15	18
Csikos Post	BanYa	180	3	6	12	7	14
Bee	BanYa	160	3	6	13	9	20
Beat Of The War	BanYa	202	5	9	13	9	19
Come To Me	BanYa	107	3	5	10	6	12
Final Audition Ep. 1	BanYa	189		7	15	8	21
Final Audition 3 U.F	BanYa	130	3	5	13	4	16
Naissance 2	BanYa	128	2	6	13	5	14
Monkey Fingers	BanYa	186	4	7	15	6	18
Blazing	BanYa	158	3	6	15	6	19
Pump Me Amadeus	BanYa	170	4	8	16	8	19
X-Treme	BanYa	162	5	7	14	8	19
Hi-Bi	BanYa	145	3	8	14	8	18
J Bong	BanYa	140	5	7	13	5	17
Canon-D	BanYa	160	2	6	20	8	21
Solitary 2	BanYa	135	3	6	16	6	18

*****K-POP CHANNEL (51 songs)*****

Song Name	Artist	BPM	NL	HD	CZ	FS	NM
All Famy	Eun Ji Won	94	2	3		4
Footprints	T.O	135		5	12	5	13
Emergency	Drunken Tiger	110	3	4	12	6	15
Storm	Perry	96	2	3	12	4	13
Chung Hwa Ban Jeom	Louis	150	2	5	13	2	16
What's Going On?	Turtles	130	3	2	7	5	9
Oh My!	Jang Yoon Jung	112	3	4	9	5	10
My Friend	Cho PD	127	3	4	13	7	14
Do It Yourself	Lazy Bone	106		6	13	7	14
Enter The Dragon	JTL	110	3	4	14	5	17
Mr. Fire Fighter	Spooky Banana	158	2	6	13	8	15
Wuthering Heights	Eugene	138	2	4		3
Turn Around	Mina	113	3	5	11	5	14
Forever Love	Fin.K.L	138	1				11
Come To Me	Clon	137	2	5	9	5	12
Funky Tonight	Clon	105		4	11	4
Hatred	Novasonic	136	2	7	13	7	16
Another Truth	Novasonic	136	3	5	16	6	16
Fighting Spirits	H.O.T.	98	2			5
Com'back	Sechskies	158		6	14		16
Mobius Strip	Sechskies	106		5	7	6	14
Don't Bother Me	Tashannie	110	1	7	10	5
Love Song	Yoo Seung Jun	118	1	4	9	4	11
We Are	Deux	116		5	9	5	12
Run!	Novasonic	140	2	5	15	6	16
Slam	Novasonic	132	3	5	15	6	19
Perfect!	Diva	132	1	5	10	4	13
Empire Of The Sun	Novasonic	118	1	6	11	4	13
Starian	Duke	135		6	12	7
The Rap Act 3	Honey Family	98	3	5	12	5	13
Loner	T.T.ma	155		6	10	7
Dignity	Crash	195	5	9	20	12	22
Shake That Bootie	OneTwo	145	3	6	13	6	16
Valenti	BoA	104	2	4	9	4	11
What Do You Really Want	Crash	110	2	7	18	7	16
Go	U;Nee	138	2	6	11	6	13
One Love	S'Max	98	2	5	8	4	11
U	Judain	111	3	6	11	6	14
Go Away	BMK	132	2	6	11	5	15
Drunken In Melody	Eun Ji Won	94	3	6		5
Sajahu	Lee Hyun Do	126	2	5	13	5	14
Greenhorn	Lexy	109	1	4	13	5	15
Deja Vu	Som2	115	3	6	13	6	14
Typhoon	Lee Hyun Do	112	3	6	11	6	14
Eternity	Uhm Jung Hwa	120	1	5	9	5	12
Huu Yah Yeah	Y*Me	110	3	6	12	7	14
Foxy Lady	Ha Ri Su	130	3	6	13	5	15
Hot	1TYM	98	2	5	10	4	12
Too Late	Shyne	97	3	5		5
I'll Give You All My Love	WAX	164	3	7	15	8	17
We Don't Stop	Asoto Union	100	3	6	9	5	10

*****POP CHANNEL (16 songs)*****

Song Name	Artist	BPM	NL	HD	CZ	FS	NR
I Love You Baby	Pandera	100	3	5	12	5	15
Up Up	Cachy Huang	135	3	4	9	4	10
Clap Your Hands	Scoop	127	2	5	9	5	11
Conga	Queen Latin	124	4	5	12	7	15
Eres Para Mi	Mozquito	128	2	5	11	7
Join The Party	Gans	131	2	5	11	5	13
Mexi Mexi	Mozquito	138	3	6	11	5
Kiss Me	Debbie Scott	126	1	5	12	5	14
Essa Maneira	Kaoma	150	2	6	12	7	13
La Cubanita	Los Ninos de Sara	120	2	6	12	7	13
Shake It Up	ROD	120	2	7	14	7	19
Power Of Dream	Victoria	122	1	6	14	5	15
Watch Out	Victoria	106	2	5	11	7	12
Fiesta	El Cuba	140	2	7	8	5	10
Soca Make Yuh Ram Ram	General Grant	108	2	5	9	6	10
Le Code de Bonne Conduite	Manresa	171	4	7	10	8	15

*****NORMAL (93 songs)*****
Beginner Mode

*****HARD (107 songs)*****
Professional Mode

*****CRAZY (103 songs)*****
Stepper Mode

*****FREESTYLE (106 songs)*****
Performance Mode

*****NIGHTMARE (95 songs)*****
Burning Mode

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